Crimping of filaments, fibers, yarns, and the like



Oct. l, 1940. w. TAYLOR 'Er AL CRIlIPING 0F FILAMENTS, FIBERS, YARNS, AND THE LIKE Filed Dec. 14, 1938 2 Sheets-Sheet l Oct. l, w. l. TAYLOR er AL. 2,216,142

CRIIPIHG 0F FILHENTS, FIBERS, YARNS, AND THE LIKE Find nec. 14, 1938 2 sheets-sheet 2 INVEN T0125 ATTORNEYS Patented Oct. 1, 1940 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE CRIMPING OF FILAMENTS, FIBERS, YABNS, AND THE LIKE of Delaware Application December 14,1938, serial No. 245,6 In Great Britain January 7, 1938 15 Claims.

This invention relates to the treatment of textile materials, and particularly to the treatment of filaments, fibers, yarns and the like for the purpose of producing a crimped eect there- According to the present invention the filaments, fibers, yarns or like materials are deformed by lateral pressure locally applied in the presence of an agent adapted to soften the substance of the materials, and the deformed materials are then removed from the influence of said softening agent, so as to set the deformities therein. The softening agent present, which is preferably a hot aqueousV medium, e. g., wet steam or hot water, makes easier the deformation required to produce crimps in the materials, and at the same time renders the crimp permanent when the softness introduced in the material by the steam or hot water has passed off.

A convenient Way of carrying out the invention consists of passing the filaments, yarns, fibers or the like (hereinafter generally referred to as filaments or materials) between crimping rollers operating in a steam chamber. The surfaces of the crimping rollers are provided with intermeshing corrugations of the form of the crimp desired in the final product, and the rollers are held together, preferably with a sm-all clearance suflicient only for the passage of the materials between them, so as to impose the required deformation upon the said materials. The crimping effect may be enhanced by rubbing the materials in a direction transverse to the direction of application of lateral pressure, e. g., by shifting the rollers to and fro in an axial direction so as to produce a rubbing motion between them. This not only causes the material to take up the imposed deformation, but also alters the direction in which the deformation takes place in any given filament. In this way the crimps produced in a given filament may not lie all in the same plane but may lie in different planes, whereby the crimping effect is greatly enhanced. The hot aqueous medium may be employed at a temperature of, say, to 100 C. or more. Where Wet steam is employed, it may be at atmospheric pressure, or the operation may be carried out in steam at a superatmospheric pressure. Further. the materials may be pretreated with a liquid adapted to facilitate softening, e, g., in the` case of cellulose acetate materials, an aqueous solution of ethyl alcohol, which solution will exert a softening action on the materials at the temperature of the steam employed. Or again, the steam may contain vapours of another softening agent for the substance of the materials or such vapours may be used without steam, e. g., in a diluent such as hot air. Where the softening agent is supplied under superatmospheric pressure, it may be desirable, in order to avoid undue stretching of the materials, to lead the materia-ls into, and/or out of the steam chamber through a chamber supplied with compressed air or the like, as described ln U. S. applications S. Nos. 17,242, filed April 19 1935, and 69,282, filed March 17, 1936.

The invention is applicable to continuous filaments whether intended for use as such or for conversion into staple fibers. The invention may also be applied to staple fibers, whether natural or artificial, in which case the fibers are preferably treated in the form of a continuous product, i. e., a yarn or roving.

The invention is particularly applicable to continuous filaments or staple fibers of cellulose acetate or other thermoplastic derivative of cellulose, i. e., other cellulose esters such as cellulose formate, propionate or butyrate, and ce1- lulose ethers, such as ethyl and benzyl cellulose. 'I'he invention may also be applied, however, to continuous filaments or staple fibers of other materials, e. g., silk and wool.

By way of example some forms of apparatus according to the present invention will now be described in greater detail with reference to the accompanying drawings in which Fig, 1 is a diagrammatic side elevation of an assembly for crimping a yarn;

Fig. 2 is a side elevation of the crimping apparatus of Fig. 1, shown with the side plate removed;

Fig. 3 is a cross-sectional front elevation of the mechanism shown in Fig. 2;

Fig. 4 shows a detail of Figs. 2 and 3 on a larger scale;

Fig. 5 is a diagrammatic side elevation with the cover plate removed of a modification of the appa-ratus shown in Figs. 1-4;

Fig. 6 is a diagrammatic sectional side elevation of a further modification; and

Fig. 7 is a side elevation similar to Fig. 2 of a further modification of the crimping apparatus.

Referring to Fig. 1, a yarn I consisting of continuous filaments of cellulose acetate is drawn over the end of a bobbin 2, through a guide J and through a tension device 4. 'I'he yarn I then passes over aroller 5 and proceeds to the crimping apparatus indicated generally at 6 and shown in greater detail in Figs. 2, 3 and 4. The yarn leaves the crimping apparatus 6 in the form oi' a crimped yarn indicated at 1 and proceeds through a traverse guide 6 to a winding device 9 by means of which it is wound into a package I6, v

As is shown in Figs. 2 and 3 the yarn I is guided into the crimping chamber 6 by means of a guide II and entersthrough an aperture I2. From the aperture I2 the yarn proceeds between a pair of crimping rolls I3, I4 having interme'shing corrugations indicated at I5 and shown in greater detail in Fig. 4. The rolls I3, I4 are mounted on shafts I6, I1 carried in brackets I8 secured to the wall of thechamber 6 by means of bolts I9. The shafts I6, I1 carry a pair of accurately cut intermeshing gears 20, 2| and the shaft I1 extends through the wall of the chamber 6 and is provided with a driving vsprocket 22 by means of which it is driven, the shaft I6 being driven from the shaft I1 by means of the gears 20, 2|. As. shown in Fig. 3, the gear 2| carries a boss 23 having a series of projections 24 al1 round it, the projections engaging with a stud 25 carried in a lug 26 on the upper bracket I3. The shaft I6 is provided at one end with a spring 21 contained in an extension 28 from the wall of the chamber 6, the spring 21 acting on a ball 29 which presses against the end of the shaft I6, whereby the gear 2| and the boss 23 and projections 24 carried thereon are held in engagement with the stud 25. By these means as the shafts I6, I1 are driven by means of the sprocket 22 the shaft I6 is caused to reciprocate axially by the engagement of the projections 23 with the stud 25 so that the yarn I passing between the rolls I3, I4 is rubbed in a direction at right angles both to the direction of its passage between the rolls and to the direction of the pressure locally applied to it by the corrugations I5.

On rits way from the aperture 4I2 to the-rolls I3, I4 the yarn I passes directly over the mouth yarn is softened and is able to takeup the distortions imparted by the corrugations I5. The corrugatedyarn1 leaves the chamber 6 by an aperture 33 and guide 34 and proceeds to the take-up device 9 whose' rate of collection is adjusted so that no undue tensionis imparted to the crimped yarn 1 whereby the crimps might be pulled out of it. l

The chamber 6 is surrounded as far as possible with lagging 35 and is provided at the bottom with a drain cock 36 for the removal of con-f densed moisture.y As is'shown in Fig. 3 one side of threading the yarn, and the apertures I2 and 33 are formed by long slots, one of which is shown at 38 in Fig. 3, into which the yarn can be slipped. These slots are largely covered by the overlapping side wall 360i the side plate 31 so that only a small aperture is left and undue escape of steam is prevented.

Means are shown in Fig. 5 whereby escape of steam may be further prevented and moreover any undue stretching of the yarn by the drag of an escaping steam jet is avoided. For this purpose auxiliary Vchambers 4I, 42 are provided, covering the entrance and exit apertures I2 and 33 respectively, and the auxiliary chambers 4ll, 42 are provided with compressed air through connections 43. The compressed air in the chambers 4I, 42 substantially prevents escape of steam `ture 5I.

through theapertures I2 and 33 and prevents drag being applied to the softened portion of the yarn being crimped.

In Fig. 6 the chamber 6 is shown provided with a steam jacket 45 supplied with 'steam through an inlet 46 and an outlet 41, the steam Jacket serving in place of the lagging 35 shown in Figs. 2 and 3. This form o apparatus is particularly convenient where the softening medium applied to the yarn is a mixture of air and solvent vapour having no substantial supply of latent heat to maintain the required temperature within the chamber 6.

In Fig. 7 is shown a side elevation with the side cover removed of a form of apparatus provided with a drying plate.v This apparatus comprises a chamber 43 provided with lagging 35 into which the yarn enters through a guide 50 and an aper- The yarn passes over a steam Jet 52 and then to a pair of rolls 53, 54 having intermeshing corrugations I5 andcarried on shafts 55 mounted in brackets 56. The rolls 53, 54 are driven by means of gears similar to the gears 20, 2l shown in Fig. 3 and these gears may, if desired, be provided with means for reciprocating vthe rolls 53, 54 axially as illustrated in Fig. 3.

'I'he yarn I remains in contact with the lower roll 54'after it has passed through the nip between the rolls and is held in position by means of a rubber nip roll 51 pressing against the crests of the corrugations I5 on the roll 54. After passing the rubber nip roll 51 the yarn leaves the roll 54 as a. crimped yarn 1 and passes round a freely rotatable'bar 58 which guides it over the surface of a heating element 59. The heating element 59 is formed hollow and is fed with steam. As it passes over the surface of the element 59 the yarn 1 leaves the chamber 6 by the aperture 60 and proceeds overa guide roll 6I to a take-up device of the kind shown in Fig. 1.

Having described our invention,gwhat we desire to secure by Letters Patent is: n

n1. A method of crimping filaments, bers, yarns and like materials, said method comprising deforming the materials by applying lateral pressure locally to the materials in the present of an agentadapted to soften the substance of the materials and simultaneously rubbing the materials in a direction transverse'to the direction of ap-x plication of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the influence of said softening agent so as to set the deformations therein. V

2. A method of` crimping filaments, bers, yarns and like materials, said method comprising deforming the materials by applying lateral pressure locally to the materials in the presence of 31 of the chamber 6 is removable forthe purpose wet steam and simultaneously rubbing the materials in a direction transverse to the vdirection of application of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials fromthe influence of said steamso as to set the deformations therein.

3. A method of crimping filaments, fibers, yarns and like materials, said method comprising deforming the materials by applying lateralpressure locally to the materials in thepresence of wet s`team and the vapors of another agent adapted to soften the ,substance of the materials and simultaneously rubbing the materials in a direction transverse to the direction of application .of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the inuence of said steam so as to set the deformations therein.

4. A vmethod of: crimping filaments, fibers, yarns andlike materials, said method comprising asians hot water and simultaneously rubbing thematerials in a direction transverse to the direction of application of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the influence of said hot water so as to set the deformations' therein. 4 l

. facilitate the softening of the materials, deforming the materials by applying lateral pressure locally to the materials in the presence oi' an additional agent adapted to soften the substance of the materials and simultaneously rubbing the materials in a direction transverse to the direction of application of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the influence of said softening agent so as to set the deformations therein.

6. A method of crimping filaments, bers, yarns and like materials, said method comprising deforming the materials by applying lateral pressure locally to the materials in the presence of an `agent adapted to soften the substance of the' materials and simultaneously rubbing the materials in a direction'transverse to the direction of application of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the influence fof said softening agent and heating thematerials so as to set the deformations therein.

7. A method of crimping filaments, tibers, yarns and the like of an organic derivative of cellulose, said method comprising deforming the materials by applying lateral pressure locally to the 'materials in the presence of an agent adapted to soften the substance of the materials and simultaneously rubbing the materials in a direction transverse to the direction of application of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the influence of said softening agent so as to set the deformations therein. T

8. A method of crimping laments, bers, yarns and the like of cellulose acetate, said method comprising deforming the materials by applying lateral pressure locally to the materials in the presence of an agent adapted to soften the substance of the materials and simultaneously rubbing the .materials in a direction transverse to the direction of application of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the influence of said softening agent so as to set the deformations therein.

9. A method of crimping filaments, ilbers, yarns and the like of cellulose acetate, said method comprising deforming the materials by applying lateral pressure locally to the materials in the pressure of wet steam and simultaneously rubbing the materials in a direction transverse to the direction of application of `said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the influence of lsaid steam so as to set the deformations therein.

10. A method of crimping filaments, bers, yarns and the like of cellulose acetate, said method comprising deforming the materials by applying lateral pressure locally to the materials in the presence of wet steam and the vapors of a softening agent for the cellulose acetate and simultaneously rubbing the materials in a direction transverse to the direction of application of said pressure and then removing the deformed materials from the influence of said steam so as to set the deformations therein.

11. Apparatus .for the crimping of filaments,

bers, yarns and like materials, said apparatus comprising a chamber for the reception of a softening agent, at least a pair of crimping elements within said chamber adapted to apply lateral pressure locally to materials passing between them in the presence of the softening agent and means for shifting the crimping lelements to and fro relative to one another in a direction across the direction of passage of the materials between them.

12. Apparatus for the crimping of filaments. fibers, yarns and like materials, said apparatus comprising a chamber for the reception of a softening agent, a pair of rollers within said chamber having intermeshing corrugations extending along their length and adapted to apply lateral pressure locally to materials passing between them in the presence of the softening agent and means for shifting said rollers axially to and fro relative to one another.

13. Apparatus for crimping of filaments, fibers, yarns and -like materials, said apparatus comprising a chamber for the reception of a softening agent, a jacket surrounding said chamber 'said rollers axially to and fro relative to one another. v

14. Apparatusv for the crimping of filaments, fibers, yarns and like materials, said apparatus 'comprising a chamber for the reception lof a softening agent, apertures in the wall of said chamber for the passage of the material, at least one auxiliary chamber surrounding an aperture outside the main chamber, connections to said auxiliary chamberfor the supply of compressed air thereto, a pair of rollers within said chamber having intermeshing. corrugations extending along their length and adapted to apply lateral pressure locally to materials passing between them in the presence of the softening agent and means for shifting said rollers axially to and fro relative to one another.

15. Apparatus for the crimping of filaments, fibers, yarnsv and like materials, said apparatus comprising -a chamber for the reception of a softening agent, a pair of rollers within said chamberhaving intermeshing corrugations extending along their length and adapted to apply lateral pressure locally to materials passing bedrying Plate.

WILLIAM IVAN TAYLOR. LESLIE BRISBANE GIBBINS.

OERTIFIOM'E OF OORREOTION.v

' fratnt' nq. 2,216,112. ctvber l 19h0- 4 mmm IVAN TAYLOR, ET AL.

- j Ii:y ioh'oreby., Oertified that error appears in tho printed specification of thol'lfaovrev.numbered patent J:-eq\.1.iring` correction as followarPage 2, secpago 5,y firgtoolmnn, line 59, claim 9, for "presgure" read '--presence'; vaxid thai: the said Lettera Patent -should. be read wiish this correction there- .in `thm: the same n xay conform to the record of the case in the Patent- Office.

signed and sealed this 29th day of October, A. n. 19nd.

Henry -Van Arsdalo,

-(Solal) Acting Commisioner of Patents. 

